Steelworkers Local 6500 president Rick Bertand said the union is confident the process will eventually see the fired workers get their jobs back — and that would be good news for many of the fired workers who took jobs elsewhere, but hope to return to their positions at Vale.

"This is their hometown," Bertrand said. "This is the place that they were raised and born and they want to come back. It's difficult when you are working out of town and your family is here in Sudbury."

In the meantime, Bertrand is calling on Vale to reinstate the workers, pending the arbitrator's decision. But, in a statement, Vale noted the labour board did not rule on the "correctness or legitimacy of the firings."

The company added decisions to terminate employees are never made lightly and it stands by its actions.